Is TikTok Just a Platform for Gen Z Dance Trends or Should Businesses be Taking Note?

When the launch of TikTok came about in 2016, I couldn’t help but think, ‘Not another social media channel to get addicted to!’ However, as the platform has gripped the attention and interest of millions across the globe, one thing’s for sure: TikTok isn’t going anywhere. 

For many, the perception of TikTok is that it’s simply a platform for Gen Zers to share dance trends and a place where silly videos go viral, but an increasing number of businesses have also been tapping into the platform’s potential and experiencing significant success as a result. 

This year, TikTok even took over Google as the most popular search engine among Gen Z, so if you want to be reaching the widest possible audience when promoting your business and tapping into the younger generation (a must for an industry like print with an ageing workforce and an ever growing skills gap), it looks like incorporating some form of social media within your comms and marketing strategy is now non-negotiable.

Each Social Media Platform Has its Role to Play

Social media enables brands to share their culture and voice with customers, fosters a space for community building and interaction, and serves as a platform for creative storytelling. It enables brands to reach specific target audiences, achieve extensive reach and brand awareness, and it also offers real-time analytics and insights into audience demographics, engagement metrics, reach, and more.

Most businesses within the B2B sector will be familiar with the benefits of LinkedIn for building connections and networking, as well as staying up to date with industry news and trends; but when it comes to deciding whether additional social media platforms are worth investing the time and money in, you must first understand the role each plays and the audience it attracts.

The Platforms and Their USPs

Traditionally associated with millennials and older age groups, Facebook enables businesses to connect and build relationships with their customers. Owned by Facebook, Instagram is a visual platform that enables brands to share curated images and videos of their products and services.

Whilst historically a popular platform for businesses to share their products and news, X (formerly Twitter) is reported to be losing popularity with a number of brands moving away from the platform after its rebranding by Elon Musk. Where are these users going? To Bluesky, it seems. An alternative, but very similar, platform to X, Bluesky was created by the former head of X, Jack Dorsey and has been hitting headlines in recent weeks as it grows in popularity. 

According to Bluesky, one million users joined the platform in one day on the week Musk was given a job in Trump’s new government. The social platform even appears to be more trusted by Google with Sky News reporting that the search engine treats Bluesky as ten times more important than X. 

So, where does TikTok sit amongst all of this? A short-form video-sharing app, TikTok was founded in 2016 and since then has rocketed in popularity worldwide for its virality. TikTok is most popular with the Gen Z demographic (aged 12-28) and is famed for its viral challenges, trends, and memes. 

According to TikTok Marketing Science Global Retail Path to Purchase 2021, 79% of TikTok users want to see brands expressing themselves on the platform, however, businesses, particularly within the B2B space, may be wary to invest in content for this platform out of fear it’s not relevant. 

But as more businesses explore this booming platform to promote their services and products and generate greater brand awareness, it seems the possibilities within TikTok may be fruitful after all.

Utilising TikTok for Business

A recent webinar hosted by PRMoment explored TikTok’s potential for brands, and there were a huge number of takeaways from a range of experts in this field.

Kicking off the webinar was award-winning social media agency and official TikTok creative partner, Coolr. The agency has supported major brands including Burger King with launches onto TikTok, maximising reach and cementing brand culture amongst users of the platform.  

According to Adam Cyne, founder of Coolr, because videos are becoming more accessible, people are becoming more confident producing video. This means TikTok has become an ideal space for brands to share their voice without the need to invest time and money in perfectly polished video content. 

Offering some examples of things that brands could be using TikTok to talk about, Adam listed: things that are new and exclusive, use cases, promotions, category behaviour, and culture. TikTok fosters a playful and fun feel and Adam advises brands to play into this when producing content for the platform by finding your voice and keeping it simple.

With TikTok tailoring the content you see based on the content you search for and interact with, a good tip from Adam was to create a separate account and ‘think like your target audience’, to understand the type of content they are accessing and interacting with on TikTok. You can then tailor your content to meet the needs of your audience. 

Pretty Green, a B Corp certified creative communications agency delivers insight-led, international, and award-winning communications for clients such as Red Bull, Nando’s, Under Armour, and SnapChat. Sammy Albon of Pretty Green recommends an audience-first approach, advising businesses to tailor content using data-driven insights to inform the creative direction, ensuring content speaks to what the audience cares about. 

Another tip was to prioritise relevancy over virality and focus on content that resonates with the target demographics’ interests, needs, and behaviours as this will result in content that resonates deeply with your target demographic, higher conversion rates, and stronger emotional engagement. 

Finally, Sammy advises leveraging TikTok’s native features and encouraging creators to use TikTok-native elements like Duets, Challenges, and trending sounds as this maximises shareability and boosts organic discovery and participation. “We’ve moved beyond the trope of TikTok being just a platform for kids dancing,” Sammy said.

Making Print Attractive to Gen Z through TikTok

Within the print industry specifically, print service providers are increasingly utilising platforms such as Instagram to showcase their impressive and creative print projects, and a number have begun utilising TikTok in the same way. 

As the industry battles an ageing workforce, could TikTok be a way to demonstrate the possibilities of print to a younger audience? According to ExtensisHR, by 2025, Gen Z is expected to comprise 27% of the global workforce and they are projected to take over Boomers (aged 60 to 78) in full-time workforce this year. 

The short-form video nature of TikTok enables printers to share snippets of projects, different printing techniques, and ‘a day in the life’-style videos with TikTok’s millions of users, showcasing the creativity, variety, and innovative nature of print. A print business could utilise TikTok to highlight the various roles within the company, as well as demonstrate various use cases and applications for print jobs. 

Research has found Gen Z to be the generation that most values a company’s commitment to ethical, social, environmental, and labour aspects of CSR. As with LinkedIn, TikTok provides a space to highlight Corporate Social Responsibility and Culture initiatives such as charity days and environmental efforts, just in video form. 

Gen Z has also been found to be more technology-driven than any other age group with 91% saying technology influences their decision to choose between similar employees. With the print industry advancing technologically at a rapid speed, TikTok could be a strong part of a business’ strategy to promote its projects and offerings, as well as position the print industry as an attractive option for the next generation coming through. 

So, whilst it may appear a minefield at first and indeed, yet another social media platform to invest time and effort in, there are many examples of ways businesses could be utilising TikTok within their marketing efforts to great success.